This poem is a great poem and he wrote it well. In this poem, Hiawatha is
talking to the trees to help him build a canoe. Itís a long poem, but
every word of it has its meaning. It says that Hiawatha was a legendary
American Indian chief who established the Five Nations League. I think
that this poem is telling us that Hiawatha is gathering the Five Nations
League. The canoe could stand for their total powers, and the river can be
thought of as their road to victory. This poem has a very serious,
excited, yet sometimes sad tone because the trees have to be stripped of
some of their parts. I think that it is filled with excitement because
Hiawatha seems so eager to put together the canoe. The poem is very
creative, and Longfellow has Hiawatha get one part of the canoe from
something different, so Hiawatha can make the best canoe to go down the
river with. Itís also quite an upbeat poem, while having that touch of
sadness from the trees.

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding this poem better? If they are accepted, they will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.

Do not post questions, pleas for homework help or anything of the sort, as these types of comments will be removed. The proper place for questions is the poetry forum.

Please note that after you post a comment, it can take up to an hour before it is visible on the website! Rest assured that your comment is not lost, so don't enter your comment again.